What Do You Want To Know?

[JamieLogical]

I am sailing (*fingers crossed*) on the Celebrity Equinox on July 25. It will be the ship's first post-COVID cruise. It will also be my first solo cruise and my first Celebrity cruise, after having sailed exclusively on NCL. I am hoping to do a really thorough review, taking photos, videos, and notes daily. Not sure how much I will be able to post live from the ship, but will certainly post as much as I can when I return. I am particularly going to try to pay attention and make note of the differences between NCL and Celebrity, as my husband I have another Celebrity sailing booked in January.

 

What kinds of things do you want me to take note of and report back on? How do you prefer I report back?

[ColeThornton]

Please link to your review when you post on the Celebrity forum.  Thanks.

[JamieLogical]

1 minute ago, ColeThornton said:

Please link to your review when you post on the Celebrity forum.  Thanks.

 

I definitely will! I know a lot of NCL cruisers are curious about the differences and similarities between the two lines.

[BermudaBound2014]

Firstly, congratulations on selecting Equinox. She is a great ship. One of my favorites. Not too big, not too small. I've sailed both NCL and Celebrity several times, so I'm familiar with the differences between the two pre-covid, but I think it's an entirely new game now.   I will be very interested in your comparison of both lines once you sail NCL on Breakaway post-covid since I'm not sure how accurate any pre-covid comparisons are going to be

 

I'm interested in your review to see what things (if any) have changed. Example, on Celebrity can you still order dinner from the MDR to be delivered to your room? It was nice to eat on the balcony in our robes when we just didn't feel like dealing with the MDR. Are there still the super tasty treats (complimentary) in the coffee shop? Is the library still available? Finally, did they keep the food court available in the solarium or is that a thing of the past?

 

I'm thinking about jumping on one of the Edge solo veranda's. DH can't travel as much as I can and I'd love to get back on the sea. For what it's worth, pre-covid I find Celebrity superior in almost every way.

 

Edited to add: Thank you for being willing to be one of the first!! Especially solo.. 

Edited June 29, 2021 by BermudaBound2014

[saltsandknit]

I am interested in the differences or similarities in the dining venues. I know that taste and preference is subjective but I am curious.  We haven't sailed on Celebrity yet and I want to try it. Everyone told us Princess had better food than NCL and the was a big nope for me. The food was just okay on Princess and they had odd things on the menu and in the Buffet and not nearly enough vegetarian options. My DH would be interested in bars and do they have much dancing. I will be looking forward to your review.

[Seany527]

I’d love to know about your solo experience. I’m taking my first solo cruise the week after you. 
 

Also, can you let us know if you can post to Cruise Critic while connected to the ships wifi. On the Millennium, some people were unable to post. I tried on two cell phones and a laptop and the reply box and quote box were missing. Seems like Celebrity blocked it. 

[JamieLogical]

@BermudaBound2014 and @saltsandknit, I will make notes of your questions and try to remember to get answers for both of you!

[JamieLogical]

3 minutes ago, Seany527 said:

I’d love to know about your solo experience. I’m taking my first solo cruise the week after you. 
 

Also, can you let us know if you can post to Cruise Critic while connected to the ships wifi. On the Millennium, some people were unable to post. I tried on two cell phones and a laptop and the reply box and quote box were missing. Seems like Celebrity blocked it. 

 

There's someone on the Celebrity boards that has been posting to CC every day from the Edge. So I am assuming that it's not intentionally blocked by Celebrity.

[ALD18]

Another request for overall eating experience, breakfast, lunch, and dinner?  How easy and restrictive is buffet and dining room access, especially since you are going solo.  Lastly, how is overall shore excursion process/experience.  Thanks in advance for your effort:) 

[JamieLogical]

Just now, ALD18 said:

Another request for overall eating experience, breakfast, lunch, and dinner?  How easy and restrictive is buffet and dining room access, especially since you are going solo.  Lastly, how is overall shore excursion process/experience.  Thanks in advance for your effort:) 

 

I am booked for two shore excursions, so I will definitely let you know!

[ALD18]

3 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I am booked for two shore excursions, so I will definitely let you know!

Perfect.   And above all HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BirdTravels]

3 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

What kinds of things do you want me to take note of and report back on? How do you prefer I report back?

I would be interested in your impressions on the live entertainment. And how much the passengers were engaged with it. (A couple of weeks ago, there were times that I walked by a bar with a live singer/ piano player/ guitarist performing to a completely empty room. Some had to do with the low number of passenger, some I think had to do with the selection of entertainment). 

 

Have a wonderful return to cruising! Stay safe. 

[LaCal]

I just found out Celebrity had NO Smoking in its casinos at all 

 

I was going to try them especially since I could get a comped casino special but the No smoking policy changed my mind 

[JamieLogical]

2 minutes ago, LaCal said:

I just found out Celebrity had NO Smoking in its casinos at all 

 

I was going to try them especially since I could get a comped casino special but the No smoking policy changed my mind 

 

That was one of the appeals for me!

[PTC DAWG]

25 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

That was one of the appeals for me!

Absolutely…

 

EQ is a great ship, love the grass lawn..

[Turtles06]

1 hour ago, LaCal said:

I just found out Celebrity had NO Smoking in its casinos at all 

 

I was going to try them especially since I could get a comped casino special but the No smoking policy changed my mind 

 

Celebrity's no smoking anywhere indoors policy is one of its huge (of many) positives.

[Sweetnspicy]

2 hours ago, LaCal said:

I just found out Celebrity had NO Smoking in its casinos at all 

 

I was going to try them especially since I could get a comped casino special but the No smoking policy changed my mind 

 

7 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

 

Celebrity's no smoking anywhere indoors policy is one of its huge (of many) positives.

Wow! I didn’t know that about Celebrity! I might have to give them chance! 

[SplashOfWater]

I'd love to know how dressed up the guests are in the evenings: for dinner, shows, bars. We sailed on Celebrity a little over 10 years ago and found it too formal for us. We moved over to NCL for the more casual atmosphere, which suits us for vacations. Thanks!

[nhtravels]

9 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 as my husband I have another Celebrity sailing booked in January.

 

Congratulations Jamie!  I notice you are. using the term "husband" instead of SO.  Looks like SO has been promoted!  Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness!

 

(I hope I"m not being to presumptuous)

[vacation44]

Jamie, I have been following you since your first post (and remember you trying to convince your dad to take that first cruise).  Anyway, my husband and I are very interested in trying out Celebrity.    I have been over at the Celebrity boards and read the recent thread about the dress code.  My husband always prefers to wear very nice shorts with a Tommy Bahama shirt on vacation--he really cannot stand the thought of wearing pants on a Caribbean cruise.   I do not understand why jeans are accepted, but a nice pair of dress shorts is not.  So, I am interested in your thoughts about the attire on your cruise. 

 

Looking forward to hearing all about your cruise!

[JamieLogical]

9 hours ago, nhtravels said:

Congratulations Jamie!  I notice you are. using the term "husband" instead of SO.  Looks like SO has been promoted!  Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness!

 

(I hope I"m not being to presumptuous)

 

Yes, we made it official on February 18. A nice, masked ceremony at the town courthouse with just the judge (who happens to be a coworker of mine), a random clerk pulled from the hallway to be our witness, and the two of us. It was perfect!

[JamieLogical]

14 minutes ago, vacation44 said:

Jamie, I have been following you since your first post (and remember you trying to convince your dad to take that first cruise).  Anyway, my husband and I are very interested in trying out Celebrity.    I have been over at the Celebrity boards and read the recent thread about the dress code.  My husband always prefers to wear very nice shorts with a Tommy Bahama shirt on vacation--he really cannot stand the thought of wearing pants on a Caribbean cruise.   I do not understand why jeans are accepted, but a nice pair of dress shorts is not.  So, I am interested in your thoughts about the attire on your cruise. 

 

Looking forward to hearing all about your cruise!

 

The dress code was a big cause of concern for me. On an NCL cruise, I wear jeans and a t-shirt 90% of the time. I do often "dress up" when we are dining in a specialty restaurant just because I want to feel like it's more of a "date". For Celebrity, I ended up spending about $200 on new clothes and shoes. I bought five pairs of wide-legged pants in various patterns, three linen button down shirt to wear over camisoles I already owned, and two pairs of shoes on clearance. I will definitely report back on what I see people getting away with wearing in the MDRs!

[vacation44]

Thank you and congratulations!  I noticed you also went from SO to husband recently.

[CroozFanatic]

I would request a big picture perspective on the big 3:

 

Food

Service

Entertainment

 

I think this is where Disney kills the competition, at least according to the online reviews. I've only sailed once...almost 20 years ago.

 

I frequent NCL because of the amenities for solo travel and the most important is the dedicated time from one of the members of the entertainment staff. Next would be the studio lounge and the meetups.

 

The other things I like about NCL are the financial incentives and perks:

 

Loyalty program

On board booking incentives (Cruise Next, Future Cruise, etc.)

Shareholder benefits

 

 

 

 

[Travelicious]

Glad to hear you are able to go after all of the NCL disappointments.  I think you will like Celebrity.  The dress code is really not that strict.  If I can do it anyone can. Do you know what you are going to do in Tortola?  I would love to return to Tortola.